THUNDER BAY, ON, Nov. 22, 2018 /CNW/ – Marten Falls First Nation and Ontario announced the agreement to study a long-awaited community access road on August 21, 2017. Since then, Marten Falls has entered into a voluntary agreement with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) to conduct an Individual Environmental Assessment (EA) and Preliminary Design (PD) for the proposed community access road from Marten Falls First Nation going south to existing provincial highways.

The First Nation has established a project team and conducted one field season of baseline surveys; but to carry out the full suite of technical services and studies, and other steps within the EA process, Marten Falls has brought on AECOM.

Chief and Council are pleased to be working with AECOM and are confident that this project will deliver good outcomes for the community and the region. Chief Achneepineskum said “we are very pleased to note that AECOM brought a consortium of sub-consultants together to form a world-class team that includes local consulting firms as well who have recently worked successfully with First Nations to deliver similar all-season community access roads in other provinces.

This project is an opportunity to move forward on addressing many socio-economic needs of the community, including access to more affordable food and housing, access to training, education, health-care and employment and access to neighbouring communities.” A

s the project progresses, Marten Falls will begin a process of collaborative planning with neighbouring First Nations and communities to ensure that the project incorporates their thoughts and ideas in a meaningful way.

In the future, the all-season road to the community also has the potential to be extended to the Ring of Fire so that Marten Falls First Nation, and other surrounding communities, can participate in and benefit from natural resources development.

Marten Falls also looks forward to working collaboratively with Premier Doug Ford’s government towards the development of the region.